Unexpected Love
by Nozomi Kajuji
Summary: Nozomi is an 'average' high school student. But what happens when the King of Thieves with his men come unexpectedly to her house and decide to live there for a while? Secrets will unfold, loves will arise, and more. Please R&R! KuramaxOC (Re-write coming soon)
1. Chapter 1

--This is the first chapter to a story that had, and still is, in my head. I know I have a reputation on not updating my other stories and such, but I had to delete them all due to...well, personal purposes. But, I can assure you that if you're just looking for a good Yu Yu Hakusho story, then you've come to the right place! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters. The characters I own will be listed down below.

My Characters:

Nozomi Kajuji

Spirit Police (I don't know what else to call them.)

--Chapter 1--

A young girl sighed heavily, carrying her brown bag in her left hand. Her long, light brown hair danced around in the wind, her head slightly hung. She walked down a dirt path, surrounded by trees and nature; the birds fluttering in the wind, singing their song as loud as they could for all to hear. The young girl looked up slightly, seeing a house in the distance. Sighing again, she quickened her pace, wanting to get home as quickly as possible before night fell, and the sun was just beginning to sink in the horizon.

Her extremely short, light, yet very vibrant, purple skirt fluttered slightly in the wind, as her shirt, which appeared to be in the fashion of a long-sleeved sailor shirt, was also the same color of the skirt. The only thing that was of a different color was the neck tie, which was white. The skirt formed gracefully around her legs, showing more than she wanted, but was just long enough to cover what she was wearing underneath. Her shirt outlined her features. A skinny body, but not extraordinarily skinny, and a little above average breasts. She never really liked to wear things that revealed too much of something, but, for school, she didn't really have much of a choice.

As she approached her house like mansion, she noticed the door was ajar, and felt as if she were being watched. She looked around the front of the house. Her small garden up front was destroyed; very few plants remained, but they were scattered and trembling like fragile children. She walked closer slowly, knowing that someone, or something, was still in her home.

She felt slightly annoyed. She'd been living in peace and quiet, not to mention solitude, up until now. She did get a bit lonely from time to time, but she didn't mind it much. She just wanted to go inside, have a nice cup of hot tea, and relax in her comfortable clothes. One of her windows was also broken. Sighing again, she bravely, and uncaringly, walked into her home, closing the door after she was in.

Before turning around, she said in a semi-loud voice, "Anyone who would break into this house is a fool. There are no valuables in here."

As she turned around, her eyes were covered suddenly, so she couldn't see who had her, and her mouth was covered with a white cloth. The two culprits that had managed to gag her lead her over to her sofa, which was, surprisingly, unscathed, and sat her down before taking the blindfold off.

She glared at them; both of the culprits were men. As she looked around her living room, it was full of men, who were just staring at her hungrily. She suddenly remembered that she was still wearing her uniform. She silently cursed them as her eyes landed on the one closest to her. He was tall, his long black hair put up into a high pony-tail, decorated with a broken witches hat that had a buckle just around the base of the hat. He wore tattered clothes that seemed to be a blackish-purplish color that framed his face. He also had glowing ice blue eyes.

"Where is your leader, thief?" She asked coldly, her voice showing no fear.

He got closer to her face. "I could ask you almost the same question. What are you doing here?"

"This is my house." She growled, giving him a colder glare.

He smirked. "Well then, we're moving in, whether you like it or not."

"Since when did you become the leader, Kuronue?" A powerful and deep voice filled the room.

Kuronue backed away from the young teenaged girl, who was looking in the direction of whence the voice came. A tall man with silvery white hair and sharp golden eyes entered the room, his arms crossed. His eyes were on the girl, but he was addressing the man.

"Sorry Kurama. But, it looks like they're still trying to find us, and we may have to lay low for a while." Kuronue replied, stepping away from the girl.

Ignoring him, the man with golden eyes walked over, his eyes still fixed on the girl.

"Tell me...why are you not afraid?"

"Because, I know I've done nothing wrong. It's you who has, however. You broke into my house! What lowlife breaks into someone's house in which no valuables are hidden? I expected something more suiting for the King of Thieves." She replied, looking away with her eyes closed.

He didn't back away. Instead, he got closer, getting almost to her face. "And tell me, how is it you know who I am? If I'm not mistaken, only fellow Youkai's know who I am. How is it that a human knows who the great King of Thieves is?"

She didn't reply at first, but she said in a slightly quivering voice, "That is none of your concern."

He smirked, knowing that he had got her into a corner. She would either attack, or tremble at his feet, which he doubted.

"Kurama!" Someone shouted.

It was another man, running in from the outside, panting heavily. "They've….they're almost here! We have to hide!"

Kurama looked down upon the young girl, who seemed to be looking at the clock.

"I will set you free. However, you must house me and my men. You must cook, clean, and take care of us until we leave. Is that understood?"

She turned her cold gaze to him. "Are you threatening me inside my own house? How low can you go, Youko Kurama?"

His eyes narrowed. "If you do not agree, I will have to kill you. Now, I'm positive a beautiful girl, such as yourself, has no desire to die at such a young age, now do you?"

She didn't reply, but merely hung her head. "Fine, I'll do what you want. But, no one, and I mean NO one, is allowed to go upstairs, not even you, King of Thieves." She replied in a soft voice.

Satisfied with the answer, he cut the ropes, then ordered his men to hide throughout the house, but to not go up stairs. He respected her wish, and her courage, so he allowed her of her wish. He hid himself near the kitchen, where she had gone.

She sighed as she began washing the few dishes that were in the sink. Just as she was putting the last plate away in the cupboard above the sink, the front door was practically blasted off its hinges and men wearing the crest of King Yama rushed into the house. Most of them surged into the kitchen, hearing the noise of water running. The leader of the men stopped, causing the others to stop as well.

"Nozomi! By order of the king of Spirit World, we order you to tell us everything you know about the whereabouts of…" He suddenly had a good look at her. "….my you look lovely today….. I don't believe I've ever seen you in your school uniform… It really brings out….the woman in you…."

She glared at him. "I'm sure King Yama will understand if I went to him personally and told him that his men were slacking off in their jobs just because of a girl." She replied coldly, crossing her arms.

The leader laughed nervously. "Now, now… There's no need for a threat. I was just asking…have you seen the King of Thieves? We thought we felt his presence in your house. If you are, please tell us. He is a dangerous man! He must be brought in by us!"

"Why? So you can reap the reward? That's all men ever think about these days; greed. It's as if you have no life... Besides, I believe that the King of Thieves is kinder than he thinks." She continued, still glaring at them.

The leader laughed nervously again, then cleared his throat and looked around. His eyes landed back on Nozomi, who was now chopping a vegetable, in an attempt to begin to cook her dinner.

"What happened here, Nozomi?"

"The house was broken into, I'm sure that's fairly obvious. However, nothing was stolen. Thankfully, there is nothing to steal in this house anyway. Now, would you be so kind as to leave? I would like to spend the evening in the tranquility of my home. Not to be interrogated by a bunch of low lives such as yourselves." She responded coldly, not looking up from what she was cooking.

"All right…..but, if you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, you know how to reach us. Farewell!" And they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Honestly… If they can do that to leave, why can't they do that to enter as well? Instead of making my house look worse than it already is?" She asked herself quietly, chopping another green vegetable with slight anger in her chops.

Youko came out of his hiding place, watching her curiously. He didn't want to say anything, for there was no point in doing so. There was a dull thud in the wall next to his head. Right next to his cheek was the knife Nozomi had just been using.

"You owe me, Youko Kurama. You owe me for saving you and the lives of your men. Even if I am doing this because you forced me to." Giving him one final glare, she turned around and resumed her cooking, getting the big dinner ready.

"They're gone!" She called out, still cooking. "You can come out now!" But added in an undertone, "Filthy cowards…"

Youko's ear twitched, having heard that last comment. He took the handle of the blade that had wedged itself into the wood and walked over to her. Coming up behind her, he put the blade to her throat and rested his head on her left shoulder.

"Now, my dear, I don't believe you would want anything bad to happen, considering that you don't want to die yet." He said quietly, looking down at what she was making.

She remained silent, but didn't continue what she was doing. He soon placed the knife down on the counter next to her hand, and let her go, exiting the kitchen. Resuming her cooking, Nozomi merely glanced over her shoulder with a small smirk on her face.

--Later that Evening--

"Here's your dinner. Enjoy, and don't complain about it." Nozomi said simply, having set the table for the bandits that were now living in her house.

They looked at her strangely, since she was still in her school uniform, then slowly began to sit down and eat the soup that was there.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going upstairs. If you need me, just call." She continued, before turning and walking towards the exit.

"Nozomi."

She froze, then turned around to glare at Youko Kurama, who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. The men looked between them both, hearing this conversation.

"What is it you want, Youko?"

"Tell me, did you put poison in the food?"

"No."

"Anything at all that could harm my men?"

"Not unless they're allergic to food itself, no."

"Hm…" Youko said quietly, smirking amusedly. "So, what did you put in it?"

"Eat it and find out, King of Thieves. We may have made a deal, but I am not your maid. Enjoy your food, and do not bother me." And with that said, she walked up the stairs and out of sight.

The men remained silent for a few minutes, along with unmoving. But, pretty soon they were all eating the food.

"Damn, this is good!"

"You said it! It's awesome!"

"Yea! Hey, maybe we can ask for seconds when she comes back?"

"I dunno if she's going to come back…. At least not until tomorrow…"

"Hey, you never know. I think we killed her house enough, I won't barge into the kitchen to try and find food like some desperate person…"

"….whatever. Just shut up and eat."

Youko heard these conversations, but said nothing to either be included, or to stop them. He glanced up the stairs, making it very hard to notice that he was looking there, then began heading towards the living room. There was another way to go upstairs, and he didn't want his men to think that he was going up there for her. He was merely going up there to see what was so important to her that she wanted no one to go upstairs.

"Hey! Kurama! Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later…" He called back, before leaving the dinning room, closing the door to the dinning, so that they wouldn't see, and began heading towards the other stairs that lead upstairs.

--

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The second chapter is already written, but I have to go now. At any rate, please R&R! It will help me come up with more ideas and other 'fun' stuff. Anyway, good night! I'll post the second chapter whenever I have the time to! G'night!


	2. Chapter 2

From this chapter on, you will notice how the details begin to decline. Sorry guys, but that's just the way I write. I'm trying to keep the details up a bit, but sometimes it just doesn't work the way you want it to, you know? Anyway, thanks to the readers for reading this story. Oh yes, and I thought that I may add one small detail... THIS CHARACTER IS NOT ME! Just because of the name, don't think it's ME! Thank you for your time, now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho nor any o its characters. The characters I own will be listed below.

My Characters:

Nozomi Kajuji

--Chapter 2--

--In Nozomi's room--

She sighed, letting her hair down from the pony tail she had had it in. She had just finished her homework, and was stretching when she heard the stairs creak. She glanced at her door, then shrugged. Getting up from her chair, she entered the bathroom located in the far left of her room and closed the door. Turning on the shower, she took her uniform off, folded it neatly, then entered the hot water, letting it wash all her worries away, for the time being anyway.

Outside the bathroom, Youko had just entered her main room. He was surprised not to find it completely pink, like all human girls seem to adore. Instead, he found natural cream colored walls, a wooden desk painted in black, and a bed that had comforters of different shades of blue. The desk was located on the far side of the room in front of the door, next to a balcony outlined by light blue drapes. They were pulled aside and showed the forest that surrounded the house. In the quiet of the night, you could hear the owl hooting in the distance, the crickets chirping into the night. Curious, as foxes naturally are, he walked over to the balcony window, seeing that she could easily open them up and walk out into the night if she so wished. Hearing the water running, he assumed that she was bathing, and decided not to invade her privacy.

"This house is so peaceful…lying in the heart of a forest… The perfect place for youkais to gather…" He said quietly, his golden eyes wandering over the millions of stars visible in the clear night sky. Looking back down at the golden chain that kept the windows closed, he carefully opened them, pushing them open. Satisfied, he stood in front of the windows, the warm night breeze flowing into the room and causing his hair to flow in the wind as well.

Shutting the water off, she exited the shower, wrapping a towel tightly around her body. Her hair lay plastered to her head, dripping with water. She looked around the bathroom, feeling that something was different.

"Damn it! I forgot to bring my clothes in here with me!" She realized, seeing that only her uniform was there, neatly folded. Groaning slightly, she decided to go out and get her clothes and quickly change.

Opening the door, she held the towel tightly to her body as she exited, closing the bathroom door behind her. She had only taken a few steps forward when her eyes landed on Youko, who was still standing in front of the balcony with the wind blowing through his hair.

"Oh…um…" She said quietly, blushing immensely.

At that moment, Youko turned slightly and looked at her. His face turned a light color of pink as his eyes traveled over her body, noticing all of her curves. He couldn't stop staring, for some reason. Feeling her face turn even more red, she bravely walked towards him, keeping the towel close to her body.

"Um… Youko, can I ask a favor?" She asked quietly, obviously embarrassed.

Youko, however, did not reply. After a while, he realized that he was staring, and turned quickly away, cursing himself for acting like such a child when seeing something he really, really liked.

"What is it?" He asked tightly, his throat almost closed.

"Um… would you mind if you closed your eyes, and your ears? I don't like it when someone sees, or in your case, hears me getting dressed." She asked, her voice strained.

With his face turning a slightly deeper shade of pink, he placed his hands gently on his soft fox ears and forced them down until they were flat on his head; his eyes were closed already. Making sure that he was really doing as she asked, she quickly went to her closet and got dressed.

A baggy shirt, and some comfortable pants, the ones she usually wore while she was relaxing and at home. The shirt was a dark blue, and was just that plain color; no other ornament gave much characteristic to the shirt. The pants were plain black, and had two white lines running down each side of the legs. Putting her hair into a quick pony tail, she went back over to Youko. Tapping him on the shoulder lightly, she signaled him that it was okay to look and listen once again.

Dropping his hands to his sides, his ears shot up, twitching every now and then. She stared at them for a while, wondering about different types of fuzzy stuff that she would think is cute. Youko's left eye began to twitch, seeing as she was just staring at him now. After a while, it got to a point where his ears began to twitch with annoyance.

She made a small cooing noise, and he grew confused. Then he realized _she's not looking at me, she's staring at my ears… How to prove that…_ He lowered his ears slightly. As they moved down, she did too. He blinked. _She's following my ears? How odd…._ She seemed to snap out of it, then blush.

"I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me!" She said, bowing deeply.

"You're acting different from before…" He said quietly, looking at her curiously.

"Hm?" She stood back up, thinking about it. "Oh! Yea, I remember! You see, I wasn't in a very good mood today when I got home, and I'm used to living alone, so the sudden appearance of you and your men kind of caught me off guard, so it looked as if I were a snobbish know it all." She explained, smiling sweetly.

There was silence in the room, Youko staying quiet since he didn't really need to talk at the moment. Nozomi merely smiled at him, knowing that he was caught off guard by her sudden change in attitude.

"Oh, right! C'mon! We should get back down stairs. I'm sure your men are still hungry." She said suddenly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along towards the door.

He snatched it away angrily, his ears twitching as well. "I don't need a foolish woman's help! And don't you dare touch me again." He snarled, then exited the room, heading down the stairs and out the front door and into the night. She shrugged, then went down the stairs herself to be welcomed by the men.

"Please! Please, gimme some more food! PLEASE!!" Most of the men pleaded, glad that their boss wasn't there to see them out of character.

She laughed. "All right, I'll serve you all some food. Sorry I took so long." She entered the kitchen and got the pot on the stove to begin heating up. "It won't take that long, but you guys can go watch some TV, or walk out in the garden if you want. Or, you can explore the house. You guys can go upstairs, just not my room, okay? I'll call you when it's ready."

They stared at her in shock. She blinked. "What is it? Is…something wrong?"

Kuronue walked in. "You caught us off guard with your sudden change in attitude." He replied simply, wrapping an arm around her shoulders lazily.

She blinked, then started laughing. "Oh, that? I was just in a bad mood. But, don't worry, this is my normal mood. Now, go ahead and explore the house, I don't mind. Just…don't go into my room. Privacy, you know."

Kuronue's arm slid down to his side again as he nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Most of the other men did the same, but a few remained.

"Do you mind if we just relaxed?"

"Of course. You can go watch TV if you want to. The remote to it is on top of the TV itself." They stared at her, completely clueless. "You're telling me you've never heard of a TV before?" They shook their heads no. Sighing, she lowered the temperature to the food and went into the living room, followed by the men.

"This is a television. This is a remote. You push the buttons on the remote in order to change the channel. That's about as simple as I can put it… Here you go." She explained, placing the remote into a man's clawed hand. "By the way, you and that other man Kuronue, you seem to be the leaders when Youko's not around. I know Kuronue, but, what's your name?" She asked politely, smiling kindly up at him.

"You may address me as Yomi." He replied simply, yet politely.

"All right then, I'll call you when the food's ready." With that, she bowed slightly then left the room at a slight run.

"What a strange girl…" Yomi said quietly, then looked back at the TV.

"How do you turn it on, Yomi?" A man asked, looking over his shoulder at the remote.

Yomi glared at the man. "We're youkais, we're not stupid. The button that has the word 'power' on it shouldn't be that hard to figure out, should it?"

"Uh….no…?"

Ignoring him, Yomi pushed the power button, then began playing around with the different channels. The other men soon sat down with him and began watching a random TV show.

--

That is the end to Chapter 2. I'm trying to work out my schedule (school has not started yet. It's starts on August 18th for me.) so that if I write another chapter, I'll post another one. So far, I have 6 chapters. I'll try and keep 4 chapters in between, but if I see that the readers are wanting more, and I'm being lazy again, I'll post another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to the next chapter. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I know it would seem that the chapters are getting smaller. Sorry, but that's just the way I write. Some chapters are longer than others. :sweat drops while laughing nervously: Anyway, here's chapter 3. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters. The characters I own will be listed below.

My Characters:

Nozomi Kajuji

--Chapter 3--

Nozomi mumbled in her sleep, having fallen asleep on the sofa. The time was 7:45 am, a time she normally would have left. She turned on to her left side, her back facing the TV. Last night, the men hadn't had a good meal in a while, so she spent most of the time cooking for the starving men. Youko hadn't come back at all last night and she was worried about him. Shocking for someone to care about the King of Thieves, but she was a naturally kind person, so she couldn't help it.

"Do you think we should wake her…?"

"Nah… Kurama said not to bother her…"

"Yea, but doesn't she have school?"

"What's a school?"

Nozomi mumbled in her sleep again, turning around under a cream colored blanket, hugging a cushion. A scent wafted into the room; the smell of food being cooked. Nozomi, still exhausted from the night, merely turned over onto her other side again, mumbling, "…something…smells good…."

"Dude, she's talking in her sleep…"

"So? Don't you cry for your mommy in your sleep?"

"Shut up! I do not!"

Nozomi sat up, eyes half closed and barely aware of her surroundings. The room got abnormally quiet, but it didn't seem to affect her in any way. She slowly turned to look at the clock and stared at it for a while.

"Holy frickin' crap!" She shouted suddenly, throwing the blanket off of her and across the room. She ran out of the room, stunning the men with her amazing speed. She ran up the stairs, skipping a few steps along the way, and disappearing inside her room by slamming the door shut behind her.

"Wow…" Most of the men said quietly, staring after her.

Both Yomi and Kuronue rolled their eyes, not believing that this was happening. Nozomi ran back down the stairs again, wearing her uniform now, but trying to tied something around her wrist, carrying her bag in her left hand. She paused at the base of the stairs, taking a breather from running about so much. She glanced at the clock. 8:05 am. She sighed.

"I guess I won't make it until around 8:45…" She said quietly, still oblivious to the men watching her. "Oh well… I might as well eat breakfast…"

She slowly made her way to the kitchen, trudging along as if she were forced to by some unknown force. As she came into the kitchen, she paused, staring at who was standing there, cooking. The man turned slightly, hearing that someone was there. He had flaming red hair, and astonishing emerald green eyes. He had such a kind, yet intelligent facial expression it would make any normal female melt. She stared at him, still half dazed, and slightly dizzy from waking up too fast. She looked over his features, just staring at him. He seemed to be doing the same thing as well, curiosity etched into his handsome face.

"Good morning, Nozomi." He greeted after a while, smiling at her.

"Good morning…" She replied slowly, watching him closely. She walked up to him and poked his forehead, causing him to blink out of confusion. She then took a strand of his beautiful red hair and tugged lightly. He didn't seem affected, he was just curious as to why she was doing that. Seeing that he wasn't bothered by it, she decided to pull a little harder. He gently grabbed her hand and lowered it slightly.

"What exactly are you doing, Nozomi?" He asked curiously, yet expecting a smart reply. (Smart as in a smart-a--)

She looked at him closely, staring into his eyes, her face filled with a serious expression. She backed off slightly, letting him have room to breath again, then quickly pulled one of his hairs out. His eyes flashed at the pain, but he said nothing and placed a hand on the spot where it hurt the most.

"Why on earth did you do that for?" He asked quietly, rubbing the spot tenderly.

"Because I wanted to make sure you're your own person." She replied simply, examining the strand of red hair. She then looked up at him. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I thought there was something strange about you, since I thought I didn't know you, but you knew me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who exactly do you think I am?"

"You're the human form of Youko Kurama, King of Thieves." She replied, closing her eyes and turning away, not wanting to look at him anymore.

"Hm, I'll give you credit. Not many humans actually know of, or have even heard the name 'King of Thieves'. How is it you found out?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, smirking. "Your eyes. You have the same type of calculating and sly eyes as he does. Besides, it'd be awkward if Youko inhabited a woman's body when he's clearly a man. Or, at least I think he is." She explained, shrugging slightly.

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle. What she said was true, after all. Not to mention that she made a good point.

_Hey! When are you going to give me back my body?_

'Whenever it's time to change again. After all, we don't know how long we'll stay in the form. Besides, I have not been out in a while. I believe I deserve this chance to get to know miss Nozomi better.'

_Oh, I see. You're already falling for her! _Youko's mocking laugh filled the inside of Kurama's head, causing him to have a slight glare in his eyes.

"Your human name is Shuichi Minamino, one of the assistants of the spirit detective." Nozomi continued, watching him closely.

"Indeed, that is the truth." He said quietly, still trying to handle his situation with Youko. "Tell me, how did you know what my human name was, and how did you know that I assisted spirit detective? I am no longer in their services…"

"Because Youko began coming out more after you changed your physical form in order to mimic his powers during your fight against Sensui."

Dead silence in the kitchen. The men who had been hiding behind the kitchen door, who heard everything, didn't even try to make a sound. Pure shock was etched on Kurama's face as he stared at her.

_Damn… She read us like a book… Not bad._

'It sounds as if you approve of her, Youko. Perhaps you like her as well.'

_As well, huh? Heh, it looks like I was right when I said that you liked her, or was beginning to, anyway._

Snapping back to reality, Kurama put a plate of food on the table. "You should eat. I'm sure you're running late for school, aren't you?"

"Mhm…" She replied, having quickly sat down and had already begun eating. When she finished her breakfast, she quickly grabbed her bag, put her shoes on, then ran off.

"What a strange girl…" Kurama said quietly to no one in particular, before he took the plate and put it into the sink. Quickly, and calmly, washing it, he entered the living room, sat down on the sofa, and began reading a book that lay on the coffee table before him.

--

That's the end of chapter 3. It wasn't very exciting, nor was it very detailed... I apologize, but it seems as of I weren't paying much attention to what I was writing when I was writing it. o.o That was a while ago though. :sweat drops: At any rate, no Yomi still has his vision in this story. I was thinking about putting it in way further into the future that he does, but I'm still in the debating stage. Anyway, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the long wait. My school is supposed to start tomorrow, but with Hurricane Fay on the way, it looks like school's canceled. Pretty cool, huh? Well anyway, here's chapter 4, and yes, it's a long one, yet somehow...not really detailed... I don't know, its my readers' jobs to tell me how my story's going and if it's good. So, enough of my rambling, on with the update!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or any of its characters. The characters I own will be listed below.

Characters I own:

Nozomi Kajuji

--Chapter 4--

"Augh…. My head hurts…." Nozomi said quietly, walking home from her bus stop.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow flash by in the tree tops. She looked up at the clear blue sky, both hands in front of her carrying her bag, and just watching the clouds float lazily by.

"They're so lucky… They don't have to do anything at all…" She said quietly, giving an envious look upward towards the heavens. Sighing, she looked back down on to the path, only to walk into someone. She didn't fall, but she almost did if it hadn't been for Kurama catching her around the waist and pulling her close unintentionally.

She blushed when she realized that he was still holding on to her. "Um… Kurama?"

He seemed to notice just as she had said his name and immediately let go, lightly blushing as well. Putting a hand behind his head, he said, "I wanted to meet you at the bus stop, but I was busy reading a book and-"

"What book?" She asked quickly, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Um...I believe it's called 'Mysteries of the Past'." He replied, remembering the cover of the book.

"Hm… It's ok then." She responded, sighing with relief.

He raised an eye brow. "I see. So, there's a specific book you want no one to read?"

"Or touch, or even look at; yes." She replied, continuing to walk home.

Kurama quickly caught up, being slightly taller than she was anyway. "So tell me, what school is it that you go to?"

"Your old school; Meiou High." She replied simply.

"The uniforms are different now?" He asked, slightly amazed.

"Yes. But, only the girl's uniform. The guy's uniform is still the same color. I guess they changed the girl's uniform so that it could match the guys' uniform a little more."

"I see… To be honest with you, that's the only explanation that makes the most sense."

There was a moments pause in which neither talked. They merely walked back to the house, each lost in his or her thoughts.

"You're off until Monday, right?" Kurama asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Oh yeah... I'm off for the three day weekend. I have to go shopping too… You're men were so malnourished I had to use almost everything in my storage to feed them all…." She said quietly, sighing heavily afterwards.

"Forgive me. Youko actually, but not really, starves them, because he says that if they eat too much at once, they'll weigh themselves down when it's time for the next heist." Kurama explained, feeling slightly anxious for some reason.

"Hm? You act as if he's another person… Isn't he a part of you?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Yes, but we have two different personalities." He added, smiling slightly.

"Oh, I see what you mean… Yes, I understand…" She said, smiling secretly to herself.

Kurama couldn't help but want to ask a question that had been bothering him all day long. "Nozomi, tell me… How is it you know about the spirit world? Not to mention Youko and I?"

She stopped walking and looked up at him, her blue eyes flashing. Closing them, she smiled to herself and continued walking. "That's none of your concern."

"That's the same answer you gave to Youko…" Kurama said quietly, feeling slightly amused.

"Yes, it is. But, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find out in due time." She replied in a slightly happier tone.

Kuronue ran up to them from the house, panting heavily. Both Kurama and Nozomi stopped, watching him curiously.

Once he had caught enough of his breath, he looked at Nozomi and practically shouted, "They…they're destroying everything! Yomi and I have tried to stop them, but they just won't! They're everywhere!"

"What?!" Nozomi cried out, both in fear and in slight shock.

Without another moment to spare, she ran towards the house, opening the door and stopping right in front of it. She stood, paralyzed, staring at the destruction of her house.

"Hahaha! You can't catch me!" A man shouted, running right passed her while yelling over his shoulder.

"But…but Kurama should be back any minute now! We shouldn't!" Another man shouted, running after the man that had just run by.

"You're such a wuss!"

"Am not!"

The walls were covered with different colors of paint, and what also looked like mud. The floor was soaking wet, water and mud tracks all over the once spotless wooden floor. There were pieces of pottery all everywhere, along with pieces of what looked like plants that had been trampled to death. Around the entire house, you could hear the men screaming insults at each other, fighting sounds, and more glass breaking.

_'They are dead when I come out once again…' _Youko's venomously cold voice echoed inside Kurama's head.

'I'm surprised they've actually done something like this…' Kurama thought to himself, looking upon the destruction.

Yomi ran up to them, up to Nozomi. He looked pale. "Uh…Nozomi? Remember when you said that no one should go into your room? Well…"

"Spit it out…" Her voice resounded, sounding so calm it sent shivers down his spine.

"Um…some of the men decided to go in, but they said they didn't know whose room it was….so…"

"So…you men have taken the liberty to first, come into my house uninvited, then, after the kindness I've shown you, decided to destroy my house. I see how it is…" She said quietly, yet it sounded louder than anyone's yelling voice.

Yomi took a step back, feeling a threatening danger. "I-I'm really sorry, Nozomi… But…uh…"

Ignoring him, Nozomi quietly made her way inside, taking her shoes and her socks off, then walked further into the house, disappearing up the stairs. There was an awkward silence, in which not even the men in the back of the house shouted or yelled. After a while, screaming filled the grounds, then a great scrambling.

"You fools! You've wrecked my whole entire room!" They heard Nozomi's voice cry out suddenly.

The men surrounding the house must have heard what she had said, then scrambled to the back of the house.

Kurama, suddenly very serious, looked at both Yomi and Kuronue. "Let's go." Then began running to the back of the house around to outside. When they got there, all three of them stood, staring at the even worse destruction than the inside of the house. There was what looked like the remains of a massive garden in the back of the house. The fertilizer was strewn all over the ground, not where it was supposed to be. And the plants…there weren't any alive at all. They had all been trampled to death, or buried in mood.

The men froze when they saw Kurama glaring at them, clearly disappointed. But, all of the men, obviously guilty, flinched when they heard a door open and footsteps echoing inside the demolished house, coming closer to them. The back door opened, and there stood Nozomi, her bangs covering her eyes in shadow. She seemed to flinch when she saw the condition of her garden. She walked out on to the lawn very slowly, stopping after a few steps. Kurama noticed that she was shaking with built up anger, not from fear. She slowly moved her head from side to side, scanning the whole garden with her still shadowed eyes.

"What gave you the right to destroy my house?" She asked in deadly calm, causing the men, who were huddled together on the other side of the garden, to cower in fear.

She looked up for the first time in a while, and Kurama saw tears streaming gently down her face. He felt ashamed, ashamed that he had even bothered her in the first place.

"Who the hell gave you permission to destroy my house?!" She asked again, her voice rising angrily and her fists shaking in front of her. She gasped, then ran over to a small patch of what looked like a bush. "My roses!" She whirled around now, glaring angrily at the men with her whole body shaking now. "You….you…" Her voice cracked, and she covered her eyes with one arm as a sob convulsed her body. "You idiots! This isn't really my house! I promised my father that while he was away, I would take care of it! You destroyed it!" She sobbed, falling to her knees in front of them, not caring any more.

Kurama walked over to her, his calm eyes still glaring angrily at his men. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves. I never would have imagined you would do something like this, when she took it upon herself to take care of you properly, aside from what Youko usually does. This is how you repay her? How disappointing." He commented, making it over to Nozomi, who was crying her eyes out at the pain she felt inside her heart. Kneeling down next to her, he put an arm around her comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, Nozomi. I had no part in this, as I'm sure Yomi and Kuronue didn't either. I'm sure you sensed that they weren't a part of it. Please, forgive us…" He said softly, trying to comfort her the best he could.

She sniffled, then tried to get up. She now had mud and paint all over her uniform, but she didn't seem to care. She said nothing, but pushed Kurama gently away, then disappeared back inside the house. The sound of a door closing in the distance notified them that she had gone to her room. Kurama rounded on the men, who were looking as if they were innocent, although they were dripping with mud and paint.

"I am ashamed to call you men my comrades. Not only do you betray her trust, but you betrayed mine as well." He scolded them, actually sounding angry. "I can't even stand to look at you." With that said, he turned and entered the house, going to try and consol Nozomi again.

"Dude…"

"Yea, I know…"

"He sounded so much like Youko there…it was scary…"

"Are you crazy? Youko would have murdered us! Hell with just preaching at us!"

Yomi sighed, massaging his temples gently, while Kuronue stepped up to the plate.

"And what are you going to do about it? What do you have in mind?"

"We could clean this place up for her!" Someone shouted in the back.

"Yea! Good idea!" Another man agreed. "We have to do it quick though; be finished by the time Kurama comes back."

Yomi walked up next to Kuronue. "Well, in order to start, you have to fix her house first. Maybe then she'll see that you're actually sorry and are trying to help her fix it up again."

"But…she's so mad at us… She wouldn't help…"

"I'm not so sure about that…" Kuronue said quietly, thinking about it. "If you managed to get the whole house cleaned, before either of them come back out, then we'll see what happens. We'll be going up there as well, to help them reorganize her room, since you guys demolished that too, but still keeping in touch with everyone, how does that sound?"

All of the men cheered. Kurama looked up slightly, hearing the cheer echo, then shook his head. 'What are they up to now? Don't they understand that they've done enough damage as it is?' He held Nozomi closer as she cried into his chest. This was a bit awkward, but he didn't know what else to do to consult her. They were both sitting at the edge of her mud covered bed. Papers and textbooks lay strewn all over the mud covered floor as well. 'They overdid themselves, I'll say…'

--

And here's Chapter 4. I'm so glad you've continued to stick to it and that you like it so much. If you want to be a character, just send me a character profile. I've hot a very flexible mind, not to mention one hell of an imagination. :sweatdrop: Sorry... But, anyway, I hope all of you review and tell me what you think about it.

Now for a little spoiler of what I've had in mind for a later chapter. :ahem:

_'What is she...? Who would have thought that she held so much power?'_

'I knew there was something unique about her... She's definitely not your average 'human'. Shuichi, we should take caution when around her, now that we know the truth.'

_'Yes, you're right. But, it is still hard to believe that such a kind and gentle person could hold this much power... And yet, I can feel as if she's holding back somehow...'_

'Indeed she is...'

And there you go. This is quite ahead, after...well, I can't tell you, because that would ruin the 'surprise'. I have to keep at least some suspense. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for not updating in a while! School's been killer lately. x.x Anyway, I'll be posting chapters 5 and 6 today. That way you guys can re-read it while I'm off at the prison they call 'school'. (And I know I'm not the only one in school. It's just that being a Junior has its disadvantages. :sweatdrops:) Enough rambling, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or any of its characters. The characters I own will be listed below.

Characters I own:  
Nozomi Kajuji

--Chapter 5--

A knock came from the cherry wood door, then the golden door knob turned and Kuronue poked his head in.

"Yo! Kurama! Is Nozomi feeling any better?"

Kurama glared at him, still holding Nozomi as she tried to dry her eyes roughly. "What is it you want now?" He asked irritably, not wanting to see any of his men at the moment.

Kuronue walked in, followed by Yomi, who closed the door behind them. Both looked around at the mess. As Yomi continued looking around the room, Kuronue knelt down in front of Nozomi and looked up at her with a caring look on his face.

"Nozomi… I'm sorry about what happened. Truly…" He said softly, putting a hand on her left knee, causing her to look up slightly at him.

"Kuronue…" She hiccuped, then flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, crying into his shoulder.

Kuronue, not expecting this, was taken aback by her sudden movement. But, as she cried into his shoulder, he soon wrapped his arms around her hesitantly, noticing the dim fire behind his boss's eyes. He soothingly rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

"There, there…" He said quietly as she quieted down little by little, until she was just crying silently while sniffling every now and then. He held her out at arms length. "So, are you feeling better now?"

"Mhm…" She said quietly, wiping her eyes roughly. "Sorry…"

"There's no need to be." Kuronue smiled, then stood up, helping her stand as well. "Yomi and I are here to help you and Kurama clean up your room. So, why don't we get started?"

Nozomi glanced around her room, eyes still red from crying. "I'm going to need the help, so thanks…" She said it quietly, yet loud enough for the whole room to hear her.

"Right! So Yomi, go get the cleaning supplies." Kuronue ordered, pointing at Yomi as Nozomi began to slowly pick up papers from the muddy ground.

Glaring at him, Yomi turned and exited the room, while Kuronue was walking about. He checked her bathroom, which was completely white except for the light and dark blue accessories. The towels were neatly in place, and the trash can was empty. He then closed the bathroom and went to check her closet, which was near by the door to the bathroom. As he opened it, he let out a gasp.

"What is it, Kuronue?" Nozomi asked, looking up from her picking up of papers.

Kuronue looked back at her. "I'm surprised there's no pink in here!" He almost shouted, pointing in the closet.

Nozomi sighed. "I hate pink. Why is it that most men believe that all females adore that color? I detest it! It sickens me…" She said quietly, continuing to pick up the papers on the floor.

Kurama looked up at Kuronue, who only shrugged, then entered her closet. It seemed to swallow him in darkness as he went deeper into it. "You have a very big closet, Nozomi!" He called back, not sure if she had heard him. He noticed that there were different types of clothes in there, all sorted by different colors and sizes and designs.

Kuronue soon walked out of the closet, closing the door behind him. "I'm surprised, but it would seem as if they didn't attack both your bathroom and closet…"

"I'm glad they didn't… It would take a lot of money to just get them cleaned, and I wouldn't want to waste the money…" Nozomi said quietly, placing the papers she had already collected on a clean spot on her bed.

She went and began clearing her desk from the few papers and books that remained on it. Kurama had begun picking up the papers that remained on the muddy floor, disgusted at his men's work. As Nozomi and Kurama finished picking up the papers and books from both the floor and desk, a knock came from the door.

"I'll get it." Kuronue volunteer immediately, not even giving the other two a chance. Rushing over to the door, he opened it and looked into Yomi's glaring black eyes.

"Here are your supplies, Kuronue…" He said quietly, handing over an arm full of cleaning supplies.

"Um...thanks?" Kuronue responded hesitantly, taking a step backwards to help keep his balance, but failing miserably and tripping over his own feet, landing with his back against the floor; the supplies still in his arms.

Nozomi rushed over, a worried look on her face. Kneeling down next to him, she managed to get a few out of his arms, enough to help him sit up again.

"Are you okay, Kuronue?" She asked quietly, still having that worried look on her face.

"Augh... Apart from my head hurting like hell... Yeah... I guess I'm all right." He smiled at her. "Thanks, Nozomi."

She nodded in reply, then began picking through the supplies that Yomi had brought. "Hmm... Let's see... We don't need this... We need this..." She murmured, sorted through the supplies.

Kuronue and Yomi watched in silence, watching her work. Kurama glanced through the side of his eye, wondering what was happening, exactly. He noticed that the door was still open and saw one of the men trying to hide while cleaning mud off of a wall. He seemed to notice that someone had seen him and disappeared from view.

"Hmph... I see..." He said quietly, having an amused smile on his face and stood up; his eyes closed.

"Huh? What's up, Kurama?" Kuronue asked, looking back at Kurama.

"Oh, it's nothing." He replied quickly, noting that they obviously had no clue he was aware of what they were trying to do. Walking over, he knelt down next to Nozomi and began looking into the pile that they needed. "Do we have all of the supplies we need in order to make this room spotless?"

"No... We're missing the most important one..." She said quietly, looking down at the last two bottles that were in her hands. She stood up and began heading for the door. "I'll go get it..."

Yomi grabbed her suddenly and pushed her up against the wall, but not roughly. His face burned red as he held her by her shoulders. She blinked, confused.

"Is...something wrong Yomi?"

"...no..." He said in a quiet voice, his throat closing on him.

She tilted her head slightly, trying to see his face more clearly. "Then why did you-"

"I...wanted to tell you that I was going to go get it... Just...tell me what it looks like, okay?"

She blinked twice, then smiled sweetly. "Thank you. But first do you think you can let me go?"

He let go at once, his face turning an even darker shade of red. Both Kuronue and Kurama had amused facial expressions, but watched on in silence.

"Okay. The thing you're going to be looking for is a big white bottle. The paper on it says Deido Multi-Purpose Cleaner. You can't miss it, it's pretty big. Oh, and don't forget to bring back a lot of rags too! Thanks again." She explained, smiling again.

Kuronue and Kurama exchanged a glance as Yomi slowly walked out of the room. Looking back at Nozomi, they noticed that she was walking towards her closet.

"And where are you going?" Kuronue asked as Kurama helped him to his feet.

She paused and looked back at him. "I'm going to change clothes, if you don't mind. I don't want my already ruined uniform to become completely wasted. And don't you dare think about coming in here. Besides, even if you did, you wouldn't be able to find me. See you in a few!" And she slammed the closet's double doors shut.

"Do you think she knows that Yomi likes her?" Kuronue asked, glancing at Kurama with an amused look on his face.

"Most likely, but I'd rather not assume. Now, assist me in picking up the rest of the scattered papers and books." Kurama replied, closing his eyes briefly before heading towards a far corner to pick up a book.

It was bound in black leather, and looked as smooth as water before it is broke with a splash. Around the corners were golden threads forming vines in swirling forms. Kurama could feel his natural curiosity building up inside of him as he noticed that there was no title on the cover. There was a silver ribbon keeping the small black and gold book closed, and he believed that if he were to open it, it would not be the same if and when he would try and bind it again.

Placing the small book in the left pocket of his pants, he returned to picking up the remaining few pieces of paper. The closet doors soon opened again and Nozomi came back out, wearing a baggy red short sleeved shirt and black pants.

Kuronue couldn't help but stare at her. "Don't you think that's a bit much?"

She glared at him. "What the hell do you expect me to wear? This is my home! I choose whether I want to wear something comfortable or not!"

"Yea, I know but..."

"'But' nothing. Now, let's just wait for Yomi to come back so that we can do some serious cleaning." She cut him off, crossing her arms across her chest while looking away with her eyes closed.

"You seem to be in brighter spirits." Kurama said amusedly, watching her with his emerald green eyes.

She looked at him, then looked back up at the ceiling. "I tend to be that way... Just don't try and annoy me. I cried, which means that... Do you remember how I was the first day we met? Well, when I found Youko and the others in my house? How cold I was?"

"Uh...yeah... What about it?" Kuronue asked, obviously not getting it.

"I become like that. It's just that, right now, I'm around people that care for me, at least I hope so. And I don't want to be mad at people that are trying to help me."

"I see..." Kurama said quietly, giving a small smile. "Then we should consider ourselves honored to be on your good side, am I right?"

"Yep. That's about it." Nozomi replied, smiling brightly.

There came a knock on the door and Yomi re-entered, a stack of rags in one hand and the big white bottle in the other.

"Is this the right bottle?" He asked quietly when she came over to look at the bottle.

"Yeah, it's the right one. Thanks again, Yomi."

"You're...welcome." He replied, noticing what she was wearing and giving an awkward facial expression.

"What? Oh, don't tell me that you don't like this either?" She asked, obviously slightly irritated.

"Uh... N-no! Of c-course not!" He stuttered, his face going slightly red again. "I just thought that i-it looked..." He trailed off, obviously at a loss for words.

She shrugged, ignoring him. Taking some of the cleaning supplies, she handed them to Kuronue. "You go and start cleaning the floor, starting over there." She ordered, pointing into the far left corner.

His icy blue eyes flashed dangerously. "I don't take orders from anyone other than Kurama."

She glared at him. "If you don't take orders, then why did you even bother to help me clean my room?"

"Just do it, Kuronue." Kurama assured him, not wanting to have to deal with more conflict. "I am giving her temporary leadership in this situation."

Nozomi didn't respond to Kurama's kindness, but instead continued to glare at Kuronue until he snorted and went to work. She then turned to Yomi. "Get all of the sheets and pillows from my bed and take them to get cleaned. There's a washing machine and dryer in the basement."

"Um...Nozomi?" He asked hesitantly, not wanting to get on her bad side.

"What?" She snapped, her blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"Uh, well..." He grew nervous, not knowing how to say this.

Thankfully, Kurama stepped in once again. "He isn't used to human appliances. If you like, I could go." He offered, nodding at Yomi's thankful look.

"Fine... Just be careful." She replied, the coldness slipping away from her voice. She turned back to Yomi. "You can go and help Kuronue with cleaning the floor." With that said she got a few rags and one of the cleaning bottles and headed for her desk.

Kurama had gathered her bed sheets and was already heading down the stairs. Yomi closed the door behind him, briefly forgetting his and Kuronue's plan. He remembered too late, but knew that there was nothing he could do now except what Nozomi told him to do. He blushed at the thought, but quickly went to work as she shot him an irritated glance.

--

Yes, I know it's mainly dialogue. What can I say? It's justs the way I write. :shrugs: I know my writing sucks, and that I need to work a lot on my writing before I publish my three books that I'm also currently writing. (Don't ask how I'm able to do that. I get kind of tired of having to explain it over and over again, and people still don't get it...) So, please read and review, and be patient please! I'll try to update again as soon as I'm able to find the time to finish Chapter 7, then more time to post it. x.x My schedule's kind of busy... Come to think of it, I need to begin my homework. Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Here's Chapter 6.

Disclaimer: I do not own any YYH characters. The characters I own will be listed below. And I also do not own the songs mentioned in this chapter. They rightfully belong to Rei Fu and Namie Amuro.

My Characters:

Nozomi Kajuji

--Chapter 6--

The floor was spotless, the desk gleaming in the setting sun, and the curtains rustled in the wind. The room looked almost perfect; back to the way it had been before the complete annihilation of her house. The only thing that was missing were the covers for her bed. Yomi and Kuronue had been ordered to leave Nozomi alone because they weren't working right and she could do a better job. Apparently, they weren't working fast enough for her liking. At the moment, she was sweeping the floor while listening to her MP3 player, singing out loud since no one was around.

Kurama soon entered the room, closing the door behind him with his foot due to the fact that his arms were full. He paused, listening to her sing.

**Life is like a Boat Lyrics:**

_Nobody knows who I really am_

_I never felt this empty before_

_And if I ever need someone to come along,_

_Who's gonna comfort me, and keep me strong?_

_We are all rowing the boat of fate_

_The waves keep on coming and we can't escape_

_But if we ever get lost on our way_

_The waves would guide you through another day_

_dooku de iki o shiteru toomei ni natta mitai_

_kudayami ni omoe dakedo mekaku shisarete tadake_

_inori o sasagete atarashii hi o matsu_

_asayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made_

_Nobody knows who I really am_

_Maybe they just don't give a damn_

_But if I ever need someone to come along_

_I know you would follow me, and keep me strong_

_hito no kokoro wa utsuriyuku mukedashiteku naru_

_tsuki wa mada atarashii shuuki de mune o tsureteku_

_And every time I see your face_

_The ocean heaves up to my heart_

_You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon_

_I can see the shore_

"I don't like this part..." She said quietly, continuing to sweep, obviously not noticing that Kurama had entered the room a while ago.

_I want you to know who I really am_

_I never thought I'd feel this way towards you_

_And if you ever need someone to come along,_

_I will follow you, and keep you strong_

_tabi wa mada tsuzuiteku odayakana hi mo_

_tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de ume o terashidasu_

_inori o sasagete atarashii hi o matsu_

_asayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made_

_And every time I see your face_

_The ocean heaves up to my heart_

_You make me wanna strain at the oars, and soon_

_I can see the shore_

_Unmei no huneoko gi nami wa tsugi kara tsuki e to watashi-tachi o sou kedo_

_Sore mo suteki na tabi ne, dore mo suteki na tabi ne_

She sighed, then took out her MP3, oblivious to Kurama. She mumbled to herself, continuing to push a button until her face lighted up with happiness as she finally found a song she liked.

**Come Lyrics:**

_moshi ima kanashimi afureru nara_

_watashi ni motarete naite ii kara_

_I get, I get, I get, get the feeling_

_I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming_

_tada kono mama_

_Come my way_

_kono yami no hotori_

_Come close to me _

_ima akari tomoshi_

_I'll be with you, I'll be with you_

_tada soba ni iru kara_

_So come my way_

_kizuite anata wa kono sekai de_

_tada hitori dake no taisetsu na hito_

_I get, I get, I get, get the feeling_

_I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming_

_tada sono mama_

_Come my way_

_mou hitomi tojite_

_Come close to me_

_mou nemureba ii_

_I'll be with you, I'll be with you_

_tada koko ni iru kara_

_So come my way_

_Calling out _

_Can you hear me? yea_

_So come my way_

_I get, I get, I get, get the feeling_

_I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming_

_tada kono mama_

_Come my way_

_kono yami no hotori_

_Come close to me _

_ima akari tomoshi_

_I'll be with you, I'll be with you_

_tada soba ni iru kara_

_So come my way_

_Come my way_

_Come close to me_

_Come my way _

_Come close to me_

She sighed, pausing in the sweeping to lean against the broom. Kurama took this chance to place the sheets back on her bed and walk over to her. Tapping her gently on the shoulder, he wasn't expecting her to almost jump out of her skin as she whirled around, staring straight into his emerald green eyes.

She took out an ear piece and lowered the volume before facing him completely, a light blush on her face. "You...scared me... Don't sneak up on me again!" She cried, trying to cover her face with her hands.

Kurama chuckled, still hearing the music playing faintly in the background. "I heard the last two songs you sung. You're not that bad of a singer."

Her face turned a darker color of red. "No, I'm not that good at all... I just sing because it helps me relax; especially when I'm cleaning. It makes it go faster. That's why I prefer to clean alone."

"This would explain why Kuronue and Yomi were downstairs..." Kurama thought out loud, remembering Kuronue's angry eyes.

"Sort of. They were working too slow." She replied, crossing her arms and looking away.

Chuckling, Kurama turned back to her bed. "I've brought back your bed sheets. Hopefully they're clean enough. I added a few herbs to help get the mud out, if you don't mind."

She turned back to him, smiling sweetly. "That was very considerate of you, thank you."

Kurama's eyes were fixed on her smile, not knowing the reason why.

_'Because you love her, and we both know it.'_ Youko interrupted his thoughts.

'Not now, Youko...' Shuichi said sternly, mentally, of course.

_'Oh? And when by chance are you going to admit to yourself, especially me, that you like this human girl?'_

'Never, because I don't.'

_'Mhm, of course you don't. Then how do you explain the fact that you're blushing?'_

Kurama then became aware that his face was burning. He quickly lowered his eyes, silently cursing Youko for causing him to blush.

_'Hey! Do not blame me for you childish behavior! I'm not your babysitter!'_

With his bangs covering his eyes, he hadn't noticed that she was watching him curiously.

"Shuichi? Is everything all right? You're looking a bit pale..." She asked, concern in her voice.

"N-no... I'm fine..." He murmured in reply, feeling his face heat up even more.

She noticed that his face was slightly red, but, being the kind-hearted person that she was, she quickly moved forward and moved his bangs out of his face, feeling his forehead for a temperature. His eyes grew wide slightly, seeing her caring face so close to his. His face burned a bright red, but he said nothing.

"You feel really warm... Here, take a seat." She said, concerned for his health.

She sat him down on her un-made bed, not yet covered by the clean sheets neatly folded at the end of the bed. She got up and went to her bathroom, looking for something.

_'Smooth.'_

'Shut up, Youko! I don't need to hear this from you!'

_'Oh, you're right I'm sorry. Perhaps I should come back at a later time for you.'_ The sarcasm in his cold voice sent shivers down his spine.

Nozomi noticed as she walked back over to him and placed a gentle hand on his head again. Kurama could feel his face heating up again. He watched as her face drained of color.

"You're sick! How could you let yourself get sick at a time like this?" She asked softly, her caring eyes showing how much she wanted to help. "Here, sit in my desk chair while I fix my bed, okay? I won't let you get even more sick than you already are..." She continued, helping him stand and sit in the chair.

She quickly went to work with getting her bed ready, all the while him watching her.

_'How is it that you managed to get sick just by blushing?'_ Youko questioned, intrigued.

'I have no idea... And I wasn't blushing!'

_'So you're going to deny that too? Heh, how pathetic can you get? If I'd blushed, I would have admitted it.'_

'Of course. Your chances of actually blushing at something are very rare, so how can you say that?'

_'Exactly my point.'_ Youko replied, the sound of a proud smile clear in his voice.

Kurama sighed inwardly, feeling his head swirling around him. He tried to stand, but had to support himself with the arm of the chair in order not to fall. Nozomi was almost done making her bed and it was obvious by her movements that she was trying to do it as quickly as possible.

_'Why do I have so many sheets anyway?'_ She asked herself. trying to hurry.

Kuronue knocked on the door, and both him and Yomi entered.

"Hey, Nozomi! We were just- Kurama!" He rushed over to Kurama, who had lost his balance and was falling to the ground.

He caught his boss just as Nozomi finished making her bed and lowering the blankets enough for someone to lay in it. She knelt down next to Kuronue, who had Kurama lying in his arms. Not very manly, but Kuronue could care less at the moment.

"Here, pick him up and put him on my bed." She instructed, worried about him.

Kuronue didn't argue and gently placed his boss on the soft bed, covering him with her blankets. Kurama looked up at them with glazed eyes, his breathing coming out more quickly. Nozomi sat next to him on the bed, a thermometer in her hand.

"Now, put this under your tongue and don't move it around." She told him gently, holding the thermometer just above his mouth.

He opened it weakly and she put it under his tongue. He watched as she stared at the thermometer. When it beeped, she took it out of his mouth and stared at it. She then looked back down at him.

"Well, you definitely are sick. Your temperature is 102.4, which isn't very good." Nozomi informed them, still looking at the thermometer.

"Well...what exactly are we supposed to do? We can't do much of anything with him sick!" Kuronue asked, motioning towards the sick Kurama.

"I give...leadership...to Nozomi..." Kurama said weakly, attempting to sit up.

She put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "You are in no position for giving orders. You need to rest, although I am flattered." She told him in a soft voice, covering him with the blankets again.

"What now, boss?" Yomi asked, addressing her now.

She looked up at him in surprise, not expecting this. "Um...well, I need to go to the store and get more supplies for food, and something else..." She replied, adding the last part in a low whisper as a light blush stained her cheeks.

"I'll go with you then." Kuronue offered, putting his right fist across his chest, a small smile on his face. "I have to go with you; as a duty of a man and also the fact that I have to protect our new temporary leader."

She blushed even more, looking down at her folded hands. "I don't know..." She looked down at Kurama, who looked so helpless. She sighed, then stood up. "All right. Kuronue, do you have a human form?"

"Uh..." He thought about it. "Yeah! I do have a human form! Kurama taught me how to make a fake image that can fool others! It looks and feels real too! only youkais with certain levels of power or higher can create one of those things!"

"Good. Change into it, and I'm going to give you some human clothes to disguise yourself more so that you look almost normal." She continued before turning to Yomi. "You're in charge of this house while I'm out. You also have to stay with Kurama. Who knows what bounty hunter out there is watching and waiting for a moment to where he's alone to kill him. You address the men down stairs, then come right back up here to be with him. Get him almost everything he asks for."

"Almost everything? Why not everything?" Yomi asked, confused.

Nozomi pointed at the bed-ridden Kurama. "Because if Youko comes back out, he'll ask for anything, and use that against you; that's why."

She looked back at Kuronue. He looked miserable, but he was indeed in a human form. His hair was a mess, but decent looking and still with its raven black color, and his eyes remained their strange ice blue color. However, his hair was shorter, and his wings were gone, not to mention his pointed ears.

Nozomi clapped her hands together once. "Great! Now, come with me!" She said, grabbing his left wrist and heading for the door. "We'll be back!" And then the door slammed shut.

"What do you think she's going to do to him, Kurama?" Yomi asked, taking a seat in the desk chair.

"I'm not sure, but I suppose we'll just have to be surprised..." Kurama responded weakly, staring up at the ceiling.

_'I could think of three good reasons.'_

'Reasons for what exactly?'

_'What two people of the opposite sex could do alone.'_ Youko replied, a smirk clear in his voice.

Kurama sighed inwardly once again. 'Youko, with all due respect, now is not the time for your smart remarks. We're both sick, so I suggest we attempt to conserve our energy.'

For once, Youko did not reply, which brought peace of mind to him. Sighing normally, he waited for the return of Nozomi and Kuronue. As if on cue, Nozomi burst back into the room, seemingly happy with what she had done.

"Now presenting, the human Kuronue!" She cheered, motioning towards the door.

No one entered. She placed her hands on her hips then exited the room. Both Kurama and Yomi could hear her talking from the hall way.

"But I don't want to..."

"You said you were going to! So you're going to do it!" She replied, saying it with such finality that he didn't even bother to make a protest.

She grabbed his wrist again and dragged him back into the room. Yomi stared in shock, while no emotion showed on Kurama's calm yet pale face. Kuronue was wearing a pair of baggy light blue jeans with a pair of white sneakers. He was wearing a white T-shirt with his red pendant clearly visible. His long black hair was tied into a neat high pony tail with two thick locks in front of his ears, much like how Kurama's hair was.

Nozomi was rummaging for something in her desk. She soon pulled out a pocket knife and walked towards Kuronue, who caught her wrist.

"What exactly are you going to do?" He asked coldly, his ice blue eyes flashing dangerously.

She looked up at him with innocence in her eyes. "I was just going to cut them so that they fit your personality more..." She said quietly, still holding the knife in her captured hand.

He sighed, then let it go. She made a big cut on on his left thigh, and a few others along the shins of his legs. She snapped the knife shut and stood back up, smiling proudly as she backed up to view her work.

"You look cool, Kuronue." She complimented, looking him up and down.

He groaned. "Actually, you do look pretty good like that." Yomi agreed, smirking in amusement.

Glaring at him, Kuronue then turned to Kurama. "You haven't said anything yet. How is it? Bad?"

"To be completely honest with you, Kuronue, that is a very good look for you." Kurama said weakly, managing a small smile.

"Yeah! Now all that's missing are a few piercings and other stuff. But we don't have time for that!" Nozomi said, before running into her closet.

After a few minutes of silence, Nozomi carefully came back out, a dark blush on her face. She held her hands behind her back, her face and eyes downcast from their stares. She was wearing a red skirt that went down to her knees, and a creamy white blouse that have a few impressive designs on it. Not to mention the fact that it showed her figure.

Kuronue and Yomi could feel themselves blushing as they continued to stare at her. Kuronue soon became aware that their stares made her very uncomfortable, so he cleared his throat to get everyone snapped out of their small trance. He looked back at his real boss.

"We'll be back later. We're not sure how long, but long enough. We'll be back when we can." He looked back over at Nozomi. "Are you ready?"

She quickly put a jacket over her outfit to try and conceal herself more, and grabbed a small purse. "I hate these things, but it'll work, I guess." She murmured before walking over to him. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good." He nodded at her, then looked back at the other two. "Well, see you guys later!"

Both of them left the room, Nozomi's blush not disappearing. As she was going down the stairs, she noticed that the walls were clean. As she looked down the stairs, everything was spotless; completely clean. She stopped in her tracks, staring around her. Kuronue paused at the bottom, noticing that she wasn't following. Looking back up at her, he smirked.

"I'm guessing you like it. The boys felt really sorry about messing up your house and so we decided to clean it up for you. It wasn't easy doing it all in one day, but we finished. Do you like it?" He explained, watching her as she looked everywhere.

She came down the stairs very slowly, her facial expression indicating that she didn't buy it. "I do, but this has to be a dream. It's too good to be true..."

"Nope; it's true. The only thing we couldn't do is fix your garden. Maybe you could help us out with that?"

"Hm...sure." She replied, thinking about it for a little bit. She looked up at him. "We should go, if we want to get back before mid-night. I need to buy something other than food and medicine. And you're going to help me." The blush appeared on her face again.

"Hm... All right then. You'll tell me once we're gone anyway."

Both exited the house, heading towards the city as the sun sank in the distance.

**--**

Please read and review! I'll try and updaate as fast as I can, okay? Don't rush me! Okay...so...off to do my homework now. :sweatdrops: Until next time!


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